Z Zegna

In simultaneously serving as an extension of storied parent brand Ermenegildo Zegna’s irreproachable tailoring and as a radical experiment in expanding the technical properties of heritage textiles, Z Zegna realizes founding artistic director Alessandro Sartori’s entirely plausible and refreshingly earnest vision for the menswear of tomorrow. Barring a brief stint at Berluti, Sartori has overseen Z Zegna since its 2003 launch, and his elevation to artistic director for the entire Zegna Group has resulted in bountiful inter-brand cross-pollination. His adroit navigation of the leisure and sports detailing that underlies Z Zegna is evident in every collection, from full paneled tracksuits and tapered lounge pants to chunky technical sneakers. More traditional elements include a dazzling array of patterned neckties, water-repellent three-quarter overcoats, and trim casual suiting dressed down a few degrees with delicately knit crewneck sweaters and cardigans. The unrestrained hybridity of Z Zegna points to an infinitesimally gradated menswear of the near future, where an already eroding code of formality gives way to pure sartorial instinct.